Amazon offers global and local streaming content in India

Amazon.com India has launched a bundling option on its video platform for global and local streaming services, in a move aimed at boosting subscriptions.
Amazon Prime Video channels
The launch comes at a time of increasing competition from global and domestic rivals in an important market for the U.S. tech company.

Amazon Channels service will help customers using its Prime loyalty program to subscribe to multiple streaming apps on a single interface, Gaurav Gandhi, head of Amazon Prime Video in India, said.

The service is launching with streaming apps from partners including Discovery, Lions Gate Entertainment and Mubi. India is the 12th country where it is being launched.

Amazon declined to talk about specifics of revenue sharing with content partners or discuss other financial parameters of the service.

Amazon’s Prime loyalty program, which costs an annual 999 rupees ($13.53) in India, offers customers free delivery, early access to deals during sales and free music and video streaming.

India, the world’s second-most populous nation with 1.3 billion people, is a vital growth market for Amazon and its global rivals Netflix and Walt Disney.

Prime Video’s rival Disney+ Hotstar hosts Bollywood movies, TV shows and live streams India’s popular cricket league matches, while Netflix has bet big on local original content.

Meanwhile, the proposed merger of India’s Zee and a local unit of Japan’s Sony Group is set to create a TV powerhouse that will challenge Prime Video and others in the market.

Amazon has invested in acquiring and producing local content in India and its founder Jeff Bezos said last year that Prime Video was doing well globally but nowhere it’s doing better than India. Amazon does not break out user numbers by country.

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